Hospitals' Hang-Ups With Point-Of-Care Testing
Executive Summary
The hospital market for point-of-care testing represents a conundrum for manufacturers. Demand for it is growing--but, with the exception of glucose monitoring, not as fast as proponents had expected. A recent survey of a third of US hospitals with 150 or more beds seeks to gather information about hospital point-of-care testing utilization and preferences.
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A Sobered Abbott Buys i-Stat
Abbott Laboratories' acquisition of i-Stat for $392 million reflects the promise and limitations of point-of-care diagnostics. A decade ago, i-Stat was a giddy startup, on a mission to revolutionize laboratory medicine with a handheld diagnostics system that could run basic blood tests rapidly at the patients' bedside. While it has accomplished much, it is far from creating a revolution. Meanwhile, the timing of the deal comes as Abbott emerges from a four-year nightmare with the FDA in which the FDA forced it to pull many of its important immunoassay tests off the market.
I-Stat's $60 Million Gamble
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